She Slays 2023 inspires women of all ages to be futuremakers themselves
To celebrate Women’s Month 2023, The Philippine STAR and PhilSTAR L!fe brought together some of the country’s most inspiring women leaders and changemakers for She Slays 2023, at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura last March 28.
Now in its third year and its first in-person event, She Slays 2023 had as its guest of honor, no less than the trailblazing Mariana Zobel de Ayala as keynote speaker.
Interspersed among talks are exciting and empowering performances from women artists, including KLLY, dwta, MI MI, Illest Morena, YARA, DENY and CALISTA PH, which got the audience even more pumped up.
Aside from Zobel de Ayala's uplifting speech, where she imparted wisdom gained through years spent scaling up the corporate ladder, were three panel discussions, each centered on a specific theme.
The first panel had the topic “The Future Begins with Me,” with each panelist sharing her own pieces of advice, all practical and inspiring, on how best to envision and craft a future for yourself.
The speakers come from a wide range of expertise—from psychology to content creation, finance to construction—with each industry affording them with distinct experiences that further deepen and broaden their perspectives on life and work.
Calista
MI MI
YARA
The Philippine STAR team at She Slays 2023
Calista
MI MI
YARA
The Philippine STAR team at She Slays 2023
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Accept and find the courage to express yourself
The first speaker, holistic performance coach Avril Rodriguez, said that our lives are an expression of who we are. “What we’re actually doing is building a life that looks like us. The thing is, for most of us, we don’t know who we are in the beginning. And we probably don’t even realize just how much we don’t know who we are.”
She further explained that people with whom we’ve interacted growing up—parents and teachers, especially—tried to tell us who we should be.
“They’re very well meaning, but they’re creating this persona, applying it to us instead of allowing us to find ourselves. What usually happens is we end up at some point when we’re like, ‘Oh, wait, there’s something that I want. But I don’t know what that is.’ And then once we know, [we wonder if] we can actually have it. ‘Can I go after this, especially if it’s something unorthodox?’”
The mindset mentor shared that she took up AB Psychology in college because she wanted to help people realize that life really is all about happiness and that it’s worth living. “But nobody told me that it can be a journey of finding myself.”
Find out your priorities and everything else should revolve around that. At the end of the day, I still believe that there should be balance.
She then started experiencing panic attacks, feeling like the world was collapsing in on her. It was at that point when she realized that there has to be a better way of thinking. This compelled her to take further studies in psychology that made her more well-versed in the inner workings of the mind, emotions, and identity.
“There’s a stigma called cognitive dissonance, when we feel like there is a mismatch between who you feel inside and what the world outside perceives you to be. That’s so painful, it takes up all your mental energy, all the time.”
To break free from cognitive dissonance, we have to “accept who we are, and what we want to do and who we want to be.” After acceptance, we must then gather the courage to “step out” and express ourselves.
Rodriguez said that she is so much happier now than she has ever been. “Before, people would ask me, ‘Are you happy?’ And I’d be like, ‘Yeah.’ I think right now, yes, I’m happy. And I wish the same for all of you.”
Know what you’re good at
The youngest member of the panel is Nicole Alba, a 22-year-old content creator with almost half a million followers on YouTube, where she makes beginner-friendly videos on personal finance and self-development.
Despite doing something most fellow Gen Zs would consider fun and enviable, she admitted that what she does, which is try new things that pique her interest, almost always confuses people, especially older ones like her parents.
“But I like everything!” she quipped, adding that she has always believed in continuous learning.
“I think one of my superpowers is that I’ve always found ways to make things fun, like interest rates, credit cards. Right now, I’m giving myself a break to take care of myself more and also explore other things I can do beyond YouTube.”
As a fresh graduate, Alba reminded students in the audience that it’s impossible to know what you want to do if you don’t experiment. “By method of elimination, you can at least find out what you don’t like. You want to start out with exploring anything, what’s most exciting for everyone who’s a lot older than me, and then try it.”
Maintain a work-life balance
The third panelist, Roche Vandenberghe, chief marketing and digital business officer of FWD, shared that just like most people in the audience, she wanted to be a lawyer, an astronaut, or a doctor when she grows up.
The development communication graduate said that when she talks about passion, she doesn’t mean having a “straight career path.” “The joy is in unlocking skills and passion among the people that you work with. For me, specifically, [joy is in] creatively helping solve challenging business issues. So whether you’re in insurance, in advertising, in whatever stage we’re in, as long as the purpose that you have for yourself is clear.”
She added that at this stage in her personal and professional life, what gives her the most joy is mentoring, or what she calls the “purpose of giving back.”
With the younger members of the audience in mind, Vandenberghe underscored the value of time management, especially in the context of “hustle culture.”
“Increase energy and capacity so you won’t be hustled. Find out your priorities and everything else should revolve around that. At the end of the day, I still believe that there should be balance.”
Give your best in everything you do
The first panel discussion’s last speaker, Rosemarie Bosch-Ong, SEVP-chief operating officer of Wilcon Depot, admitted that despite being a successful career woman, she was like most of us who wasn’t so sure at first what to do in life.
Her first job after college was at a bank, but she wanted to do something more “sophisticated in Makati.” She finally found herself working for an importer in the said city, but eventually found the job “boring.”
That led to her job at Wilcon Depot. “I’ve always believed that there’s such a thing as destiny, like what happened to me.”
Bosch-Ong, who is also a regular columnist of Property section, The Philippine STAR, recalled that her first assignment in Wilcon was still in a not-so sophisticated 60-sqm. store, with the company having only two stores at that time. She stayed and saw how the company evolved from a two-branch entity to a giant in the home improvement and construction supplies industry.
“It’s really about being the best that you can be in every field, wherever you are. I’m very proud to say that we transformed this kind of sector in the industry from the traditional topsy-turvy hardware stores before. We evolved through time, from presentation to distribution.”
Bosch-Ong, moreover, underlined the importance of knowing your purpose which will provide you with the unique experiences and perspectives that will set you apart in whatever field you may be.
Lastly, she reminded everyone that we cannot do it on our own. “Surround yourself with good people, people from whom you can learn. Keep on learning.”
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She Slays 2023 was made possible by a supportive set of sponsors. Gold sponsors were Konsulta MD, SM Supermalls, and FWD; Silver sponsors were Cetaphil, GCash, Globe, and Wilcon Depot; and Bronze sponsors were Hotel SOGO and AllHome.